Apparatus for varying the forces exerted on work roll chocks in multiroll rolling mills



rim Api-i1 v24. 1967 `3,498,098 APPARATUS FOR VARYINGv THE FORCESEXERTBDON 'CRX ROLL cnocxs In uuxrrr'nom.A nnmu HILLS March 3, 1970 L.R. BouRNEz ET AL 3,498,098

l APPARATUS FOR VARYING THE FORCES EXERTED ON4 WORK ROLL vCI'IOCKS INMULTIROLL ROLLING MILLS VFiled Apri124, 1967 s sheets-sheet s INVENTORSLUCIEN BOURNEZ ROBERT FABRE l mom United States Patent O- 58,57 Int. Cl.B211 31/32 U.S. Cl. 72-237 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Multirollrolling mill, in which pivoting levers, activated by jacks and placed inthe window on either side of each work roll chock, condition thevertical movements, in both directions, of the said roll chocks.

Background of the invention Users of at rolled products are becomingmore and more exacting as regards quality, surface states, coldhardening, regularity and dimensional precision; the rolling mill firmsin their turn are trying to obtain better output from their machines.

Rolling mill constructors are thus made to seek all possible methods andapparatus for satisfying the user and the client. To this end, they havedesigned various systems whereby the forces exerted on the chocks of thebacking-up or work rolls can be varied.

The apparatus used up to the present day provides hydraulic jacks whichare incorporated or fixed in or on the work or backing-up roll chocks;these jacks are connected by flexible pipes to the pressure uid supplyconnections.

Each time rolls are changed, these flexible, pipes have to bedisconnected and this operation has various disadvantages, including thefollowing:

(a) loss of time involved in the disconnecting operation,

(b) escape of fluid over the rolling parts, resulting in the need forconsiderable cleaning to be carried out so as not stain the rolledproducts, which entails an additional considerable loss of time, and

(c) the need to have air inclusions in the hydraulic circuits vented-outthrough a long procedure at reconnection, since even if the greatestprecautions are taken air is inevitably taken in by the hydraulic systemat the time of disconnection.

Brief description of the invention The object of the present inventionis to obtain a variation in the direction and intensity of the forcesexerted on the Work roll chocks of a four-high rolling mill, whileeliminating the disadvantages inherent in known arrangements mentionedhereinbefore.

The invention relates to an apparatus whereby the forces exerted on thework roll chocks in multiroll rolling mills can be varied, and providedin the said apparatus, more particularly at each side of a work rollchock in the window of the corresponding housing, there is a iixed blocksupporting the pivot pin of a rocking lever, one end of this lever beingengaged in a longitudinal groove of the chock so as to be capable ofsliding therein if appropriate, the lever being subjected to the actionof jacks for causing its lifting or lowering by pivoting.

Other features characteristic of the invention will appear during thecourse of the following detailed description which relates in anon-limitative manner to a four- 3,498,098 Patented Mar. 3, 1970 ICChigh rolling mill with preloading means, and refers to the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation with parts in section of the rolling mill takenalong line I-I of FIGURE 2, this rolling mill being equipped with anapparatus according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURES 3 and 4 correspond respectively to FIG- URES l and 2 providinganother embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; FIGURE 3is a section taken along line III-III of FIGURE 4, while FIG- URE 4 is asection taken along line IV-IV of FIGURE 3,.

Detailed description of the invention According to FIGURE l, within thewindow formed by the upright 1 of the housing there are mounted chocks 2and 3 of the backing-up rolls and chocks 4 and 5 of the work rolls, Atthe sides of the windows there are iixed the blocks 6-6a and 7-7a onwhich the levers 8-8a and 9-9a can rock about pivot pins 10-10a and11-11a. One of the ends of each lever bears in a longitudinal groove orhousing provided for this purpose at each respective side on the workroll chocks. The other end of each lever bears on the piston of one ofthe hydraulic jacks 12-12a and 13-13a located in a well in one of thexed blocks. The central part of the lever, between the pivot pin and theend bearing on the chocks, is in contact with the piston of one of thesecond group of jacks 14-14a and 15-15a.

Accommodated in the blocks 6-6a and 7-711 are the preloading jacks17-17a, `18-13a and 19-19a, acting on the backing-up roll chocks. Theupper chock 2 abuts on the cross-member of the upright 1. The lowerchock 3 bears on the piston of the clamping jack 16.

To vary, during rolling, the value and the direction of the forcesapplied at each side of the chocks of the work rolls, use is made of thelevers 8-811 and 9-911 which are acted upon at each side of the pivotpins 1010a and 11-11a by the pistons of the hydraulic jacks 12-12a,13-13a, 14-14a and 15-15a. The forces transmitted by these jacks can betransmitted very rapidly or on the contrary very gradually, according toneed.

In the apparatus which has just been described, all the hydraulic jacksare lodged in wells in the blocks 6-611 and 7-7a, so that no flexiblesupply pipe terminates at the jacks. Consequently, during the changingof the rolls and particularly the work rolls, there is no longer anydisconnection of flexible pipes to be effected, nor any venting to becarried out subsequentlyl The hydraulic circuit is always protected frominopportune air intakes, hence there is no need for the circuits to bedisturbed and vented.

The changing of the work rolls is carried out very rapidly, since theends of the levers 8-8a and 9-9a bearing on the chocks of the work rollsare situated in longitudinal grooves or housings, which permit thechock-roll assembly to be displaced rapidly for removal in thelongitudinal direction in the appropriate sense both at disconnectionand also at reconnection by merely sliding the chocks out.

FIGURES 3 and 4 sho-w a variant of the apparatus in accordance with theinvention for varying the forces exerted on the chocks of the work rollsin a four-high rolling mill with preloading means.

At each side of the rolling mill in the window of the housing there areaccommodated the chocks of the work rolls 2 and 3, on which thepreloading jacks 17-1'7a and 18-18a bear. Also accommodated in the twoblocks 20-20a, fixed at each side of the window, are the preloadingjacks 17-17a and 18'-18a; only the jacks 17'-17'a are not visible in thedrawings. Levers 21-21a and 23-23a can rock about the pivot pins 22-22aand 24-2411.

On each lever, the end opposite to the pivot pin bears in a groove orhousing provided on the side of the work roll chocks 4 and 5 by means ofcollars 29-29a and 30-30a. The pistons 25-25a, 26-2611, 2'7-27a and28-28a of jacks provided in wells in the blocks 20-20a bear on thelevers 21-21a and 23-23a, between the pivot pins 22-22a and 24-24a andthe collars 29-29a and Sil-30a, accommodated in the chocks, by means ofcollars 31-31a, E12-32a, .S3-33a and 34-34cz.

These jacks are supplied through the orifices .3S-35a, 36-36a and37-37a. To vary the forces acting by means of the levers on the sides ofthe work roll chocks and also the direction of such forces, it issufficient to admit the fluid under pressure into some jacks and toprevent entry of fluid into others. For example, by admitting the fiuidinto the orifices 36 and 36a, the forces exerted by the jacks on thework roll chocks tend to move them away from one another and to increasethe contact forces between the backing-up rolls and work rolls; on thecontrary, by admitting the fluid into the orifices 35-35a and 37-37a,the forces exterted by the jacks tend to make the two work roll chocksapproach one another, thus reducing the contact forces between the workand backing-up rolls.

This variant offers the same additional advantage as those mentioned forthe apparatus shown in FIGURES l and 2, such as elimination of need fordisconnection of hydraulic lines for removal of rolls and ease ofremoval of such rolls providing for a considerable saving of time forthis operation.

We have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with thepresent invention. It is understood that the same is not limited theretobut is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to aperson skilled in the art and we, therefore, do not wish to be limitedto the details shown and described herein, but intend to cover all suchchanges and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of theappended claims.

We claim:

1 Apparatus for varying the forces exerted on the work roll chocks inmulti-roll rolling mills comprising at least one pair of work rolls andchocks supporting said work rolls in proximity to each other and havinglongitudinal grooves in opposite sides thereof extending in the axialdirection of said rolls,

a rolling mill housing means including a window for accommodating saidchocks and a plurality of fixed blocks extending into said window, and

adjustable support means mounted on each of said fixed blocks andextending into a respective longitudinal groove in a given chock foradjustably supporting said chocks on said housing means for raising andlowering thereof while permitting the removal thereof by longitudinalsliding,

said adjustable support means including a rocking lever pivotallymounted on each of said fixed blocks and having one end riding in alongitudinal groove of a given chock, and hydraulic jack means incontact with said rocking levers for effecting controlled movementthereof to raise or lower said chocks.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said rocking levers arepivotally mounted at the central portion thereof to the respective fixedAblocks and said jack means including at least two hydraulic jacks incontact with each lever on respective sides of the pivot providing aforce in the same sense.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said rocking levers arepivotally mounted at the end thereof opposite to said one end to therespective fixed blocks and said jacks means including at least twohydraulic jacks in contact with each lever on opposite sides thereofproviding opposed action on each lever.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said hydraulic jack means isaccommodated in wells in the respective fixed blocks.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including at least one pairof backing-up rolls and chocks supporting said backing-up rolls disposedon either side of said pair of working roll chocks in said window, saidfixed blocks being positioned between a respective rocking lever and oneof said backing-up roll chocks.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the fixed blocks on each sideof said work roll chocks form a single support element through whichextends a well within which is located the two pairs of hydraulic jacksassociated with the rocking levers on that side and the supply orificestherefor.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 further including a plurality ofpreloading hydraulic jacks positioned between the backing-up roll chocksand the adjacent fixed blocks.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein each backing-up roll chock isspaced from the opposite window ends to accommodate the correspondingblocks, jacks and levers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,898,007 2/1933 Ewart 72-2431,935,091 ll/l933 Iversen 72-245 FOREIGN PATENTS 194,574 2/1965 Sweden.

644,874 9/ 1962 Italy.

CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner B. I. MUSTAIKIS, Assistant ExaminerU.S. C1. X.R. 72-245

